Split Zone No.13

“Du Yue, she...” Before Gaoqin Jiuye could finish, there was an urgent knocking at the door.

“Miss Ah Shen, are you inside?”

I waved a hand at Gaoqin Jiuye after hearing Jie Pa’s voice, and walked over quickly to open the door.

Jie Pa adjusted his glasses and looked like he was about to say something, but stopped as he saw Gaoqin Jiuye walking towards me. Jie Pa’s gaze changed a little.

Gaoqin Jiuye gave a self-mocking laugh. “No issue, both of you can speak outside, I won’t eavesdrop.”

...

Why do we have to leave, can’t you wait outside instead... This is the Western District bro!

I heard a cracking sound while I was rolling my eyes in contempt of a certain someone’s excessive self-confidence.

The door to the adjacent room opened, and Jiao S walked out with a funny expression on her face.

“Great timing. You come over, I go back.” Gaoqin Jiuye signaled to change places with Jiao S. Without waiting for any response, he moved over and opened the door Jiao S just closed, closing the door behind as he went in.

“You sure he’s not in love with Si Luo?” I pointed at that door as I asked Jiao S.

Jiao S just smiled.

“Oh yes, Jie Pa, what did you want to speak about?”

Jie Pa nodded and said, “Let’s speak inside.”

The three of us went back into the room.

“Miss Ah Shen, do you still remember the Yuan siblings?”

I nodded. “Of course I remember them. Didn’t I get them to stay by your side to protect you?”

Jie Pa nodded in response. “Yes, but since I think Chou Yu is more experienced in battle, I got them to help look for Laurel. The two of them were assaulted at the East-West district border, and because of protecting Yuan Qian, Yuan Shen is now gravely injured and unconscious. From what I’ve heard, it seemed like Yu Liang was the one who attacked them.”

I opened my eyes wide. “Yu Liang? Didn’t Du Yue go back to the world of soul splitters with Ta Lai? Or did they leave Yu Liang in their Southern District experimental grounds?”

Jie Pa looked grim. “This is also the reason I’m looking for you. I think we should work with Mr Si Luo to thoroughly look into the Southern District’s matters. If there’s still an experimental ground, it would probably be in the Southern District.”

Jiao S said, “Yes, I’ve looked into it. There’s not much of an issue in that Eastern District of mine, maybe because the MF of the average person is rather high there so they didn’t do much in the Eastern District. If like what you said, the experimental grounds in the Western District have been destroyed, then it’s highly possible that there’s something still hidden in the Southern District.”

I frowned. That horrible experiment, I really did not want to see that again.

“Apart from that, Miss Ah Shen, I didn’t ask because your emotions were a little unstable before, but I’ll have to ask now. Nie Zun had never once looked for you after he disappeared?” Jie Pa was visibly worried.

I took a deep breath. “No.”

The scene of that black shadow flashing by the window when I was still in the room with Gaoqin Jiuye replayed itself in my head.

Could it be him?

Jie Pa said in an exhausted manner, “Nie Zun, always making others worry.”

It was only now did I realize that the gentlemanly Jie Pa, who was always in clean clothes, looked tired and a little dismal. His suit was not as tidy as before, and there were specks of dust and blood stains on his shoes.

The ever-polite Jie Pa would probably only say things like that when he was talking about Nie Zun, as if he was chastising his own child.

I felt a little gloomy. After my friends left me one after another, he was the one who had been helping me out all this while, and I have just been piling these things upon him.

Li Shen, even more than Nie Zun, you are the one who makes others worry about you.

However, I was fully aware that it was in a large part because of Nie Zun that Jie Pa was treating me well.

But now, Nie Zun is gone.

Jie Pa might have noticed the glum look on my face, and he smiled at me, regaining his usual composure. “Don’t you worry, Miss Ah Shen. I’ll definitely find Nie Zun, and I’m sure he won’t leave you for real.”

For some reason, my face reddened at this.

Jie Pa’s eyes looked distant as he continued, “The feelings he has for you are definitely not as simple as any other relationship between a boy and a girl. He’s not good at expressing himself, and he never talks about the things that bother him. He won’t even say it if he’s hurt, and he’ll just hole himself up somewhere. No matter what happens, I’ll help him undo the knot in his heart and bring him back. Miss Ah Shen, I hope you can go back with him as well. Though the invisible leash tying the both of you together is now broken, we still can’t be sure if the both of you will need to undo the split symbol curse at the same time to go back. I hope you don’t give up.”

So bringing Nie Zun back and undoing that knot in his heart were the real reasons Jie Pa remained in the Split Zone.

I’m impressed, and also a little envious that Jie Pa could come to the Split Zone just for you, Nie Zun. There’s someone with you, you shouldn’t let your eyes be lonely anymore.

“I won’t give up.” This was the only thing I could say.

Jiao S then interrupted, “Si Luo has made his intentions clear. He’ll be staying in the Western District for some time, together with Gaoqin Jiuye. As for me, I’ll be going with Huan Qing to look for another suitable body of consciousness.”

“Jiao S, does Si Luo really wish to continue staying alive? Though I know I shouldn’t be asking this, but I have this nagging feeling that it might not be that difficult to find another new body of consciousness. I just feel that he seems to be tired of such a life,” I said with knitted brows.

There was a resoluteness in Jiao S’s emotionless eyes. “That’s right, he’s exactly like this. I know that he’s pushing me away, he doesn’t want to live, and that he’s tired of the Split Zone. But I’m not going to give up. He can give up, but I won’t. Ah Shen, I’m begging you, no matter what, help me change his mind on this. This isn’t something I can do, but I have a feeling that only you can.”

I was stunned.

She continued, “You’re unique, just like Si Luo is. I’ve never been able to tell what he was thinking after all these years, though I know that he’s getting tired of all the drama here. Probably because he’s also a rare breed here, whatever is hidden in his heart, be it loneliness or solitude, I can’t see it. Maybe you can help him understand it.”

Do I really have such an ability... I hate this world too...

But, why do we hate this world? This world is beautiful too...

Even though it’s full of killing and bloodshed, aren’t we all still alive...

“Go ahead. I’ll help you look after him, I won’t let him die.” I flashed her a brilliant smile. Though my heart was feeling bitter, I know she needed my encouragement. I am not going to let Jiao S become the next person hurt by me. I will do whatever she needs me to.

“Thank you.” Jiao S’s eyes shone.

I looked back at Jie Pa. “Where are the Yuan siblings now?”

Jie Pa adjusted his glasses. “They’re at the accommodation in the Residence, in another block, probably about ten minutes or so away from here, if we use MF. There’s no need for you to go over, I’ll take care of Yuan Shen. It’s just that we don’t know when he’ll wake up. What I hope you can do now is to discuss matters with Si Luo, and it’s best if he can go with you to the Southern District to investigate matters. Our chances against Du Yue will be better if we cooperate with them.”

“What do you think?” I asked Jiao S for her opinion.

“Si Luo is a soul splitter too, but he didn’t reveal any secrets about them during my conversation with him. I’m thinking that he might have some difficulties, or someone like Si Luo would definitely not allow them to continue their absurd acts in the Southern District.”

I thought about it before, that as a soul splitter, Si Luo had been staying in the Southern District for years, protecting the ordinary and weak residents. I have also witnessed the Southern District residents living happy lives. He might just be different from the other soul splitters, but I cannot give up on trying to pry some information out of him just because he seems to be a neutral party. He is the only clue we have now.

“Oh yes, I forgot to tell you guys. Huan Qing told me some things about the split symbols previously.”

I suddenly recalled what Huan Qing said, that soul splitters captured souls and engraved split symbols on them, forming a three-way contract between the human, the soul splitter and the split symbol. I explained this to Jiao S and Jie Pa in detail.

“So it’s like this...” Jie Pa looked shocked.

“You thought of something?” I asked hastily.

Jie Pa said, “I was a psychologist, so I naturally didn’t buy into the supernatural. I thought that the existence of the Split Zone could be some sort of separation from our consciousness. What we can confirm is that we still don’t know enough about the Split Zone, so all the contradictions and all our suspicions hinge on this secret. As long as we uncover it, we’ll be able to link everything together.

“Right now, you have to look into the experimental grounds. I have my own deductions based on what we saw, but they’ve destroyed most of it, and we don’t have much to work with. Miss Ah Shen, it’s best if you could find Yu Liang, or bring back an experimental subject from the experimental grounds in the Southern District. I’ll be able to find out more then.”

“Yu Liang escaped after attacking the Yuan siblings?”

I thought of something else, and added quickly, “Jie Pa, no matter what that experiment did to Yu Liang, you have to remember that he’s a rational person, just like you. His character will not change. So, why did he suddenly attack one of us? Was he trying to tell us something? Maybe, you might want to take a closer look at Yuan Shen’s injuries.”

Jie Pa nodded in response. “You’re right, Miss Ah Shen. I might have neglected this fact, that he might have a reason for doing so.”